asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names of all urban district councils which have written to him about the powers of the rent scrutiny board.

About 65 councils have written either directly or through their Members of Parliament; records are not kept in a form which enables me to prepare a list of them all without disproportionate work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to amend the Housing Finance Act 1972 to provide an independent appeals procedure for local authorities and council tenants in disagreement with the fair rents fixed by rent scrutiny boards.

Where rent scrutiny boards disagree with the assessment of a local authority they are already required by law to consider any representations from the council, and authorities have been advised to seek and consider tenants' views before making these representations.